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-50- <br /> Two general types of underground mining methods are utilized to produce <br /> coal at Coal Basin. They are the room and pillar and the longwall <br /> methods. All coal is transported from the mining section to the surface <br /> via belt conveyors and placed in temporary storage bins of up to 1 ,000 <br /> tons capacity near the mine portals. Hen and materials are transported <br /> into and out of the mines via slope hoists and/or self-propelled mantrip <br /> vehicles. Each mine is ventilated with a separate split of air. Roof <br /> control is accomplished principally with roof bolts; however, other <br /> means, including posts, cribs and arches, are used. In pillar sections <br /> and longwall panels, the roof is allowed to cave after mining. <br /> The run-of-mine coal is transported from the mine portal bins to the <br /> preparation plant in off-highway diesel powered trucks. Each of the <br /> mines is located approximately 4 miles from the preparation plant. At <br /> the preparation plant, rock and refuse materials are removed from the <br /> coal by gravity separation methods and froth flotation. After cleaning, <br /> the coal is thermally dried and placed in clean coal storage bins. From <br /> there, it is transported approximately 22 miles to the unit train loadout <br /> station at Carbondale by semi-trucks. Rock and refuse materials removed <br /> from the coal at the preparation plant is presently placed in the refuse <br /> pile situated in Coal Basin near the preparation plant. Coal refuse will <br /> be disposed of in a small canyon approximately l 1/2 miles southwest of <br /> the preparations plant following base preparations in the summer of 1983. <br /> Mid-Continent plans to mine between 800,000 and 1 ,300,000 tons of coal <br /> per year from its Coal Basin Mines for the next 40 years. It is <br /> estimated -ghat there are at least 40,000,000 tons of recoverable coal in <br /> the two minable seams within the Federal coal leases and privately owned <br /> lands availaole to the company in the mine plan area. Mining operations <br /> will be conducted in the two commerically minable coal seams of the <br /> Mesaverde Group located in Coal Basin. These seams are the Coal Basin <br /> seam, or "B" bed, and the Uutch Creek seam, or "Middle" bed. The <br /> "Middle" bed overlies the "B" bed stratigraphically by about 450 feet. <br /> There are no other known commercially minable coal seams in Coal Basin. <br /> The coal seams outcrop along the sides of the Basin at elevations ranging <br /> from approximately 9,500 feet to 10,700 feet. Both coal seams are <br /> believed to be continuous, except for some faulting, within the mine plan <br /> area. Because of intense faulting, thickness of the coal beds, igneous <br /> intrusives and the extreme depth of cover, portions of the coal resources <br /> within the mine plan are are not commercially minaole at this time. The <br /> "3" bed overlies another coal seam, known as the "A" seam, that is not <br /> commercially minable because or its thinness ano close proximity to the <br /> "3" bed. Consequently, it is not considered to be part of the minaole <br /> coal reserve. <br /> The proposed operation is in como-liance with the requirements of this <br /> Section. <br /> axolosives - Mules 2.05.3(5) and d.08 <br /> ivo surface busting is anticipateo at th15 Operdtion. The r?C,U1reTents <br /> of :nis section cc nct apply. Therefore, the prcaosed operation is in <br /> c;moi iance .vi�;n this section. <br />